2022 Subaru Outback vs 2022 Honda Odyssey

The 2022 Honda Odyssey was a minivan that catered to families with its practical design and thoughtful features. Its sliding side doors were a boon in tight parking spaces, making it easier to load toddlers into rear-facing seats. The Odyssey offered a comfortable third-row seat, accommodating additional passengers like grandparents or carpool kids with ease. Its cargo space was unmatched, providing ample room for gear and groceries, and when the third-row seat was folded down, it rivaled the cargo capacity of a Chevrolet Suburban. Despite its utilitarian nature, the Odyssey managed to maintain a sense of style, with its kinked sliding doors and dark gray 19-inch aluminum alloy wheels on the Touring trim.

In contrast, the 2022 Subaru Outback Wilderness was a rugged take on the traditional Outback, blurring the lines between a station wagon and a Jeep. It featured a higher ground clearance of 23 centimetres, aggressive all-terrain tires, and improved approach and departure angles, making it more off-road capable. The Outback Wilderness stood out with its unique grille, black 17-inch wheels, and Anodized Copper accents. Inside, it offered a dark gray and black cabin with water-repellant StarTex upholstery, though it lacked ventilated seats. The Outback Wilderness was designed for adventure, with a robust roof rack and a new Geyser Blue paint option.

The 2022 Honda Odyssey was powered by a 3.5-litre V6 engine, delivering 280 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque. It featured a front-wheel-drive system paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission. While it lacked all-wheel drive and hybrid options, the Odyssey offered a Natural Resources Canada fuel consumption estimate of 10.6 litres per 100 kilometres in combined driving. During testing, it averaged 10.4 L/100 km. The Odyssey was enjoyable to drive, with quick acceleration and responsive handling, but its brakes tended to heat up on downhill grades, leading to pedal vibration and grumbling.

The 2022 Subaru Outback Wilderness came equipped with a turbocharged 2.4-litre 4-cylinder engine, producing 260 horsepower and 277 lb-ft of torque. It featured a continuously variable transmission (CVT) with eight programmed ratios and paddle shifters. The Outback Wilderness offered a maximum towing capacity of 3,500 lbs and a fuel efficiency of 10.9 L/100 km in the city and 8.9 on the highway. It excelled off-road with its all-wheel-drive system, 23 cm ground clearance, and Yokohama Geolandar all-terrain tires. The Wilderness trim also included a dual function X-Mode traction system and hill descent control, making it the most capable Outback for off-road adventures.

The 2022 Honda Odyssey offered easy access with wide-opening doors and a lower ride height. Inside, it featured quality leather upholstery, supportive front seats with power adjustment, and a tri-zone automatic climate control system. The Odyssey provided ample storage space, including a centre console tray and shelving in the front door panels. Its Magic Slide second-row seats allowed for flexible seating arrangements, and the third-row seat was comfortable for adults. The Odyssey boasted 929 litres of cargo space behind the third row, expanding to 2,452 litres with the third-row seat folded, and 3,984 litres with the second-row seats removed.

The 2022 Subaru Outback Wilderness featured dark gray StarTex upholstery, which was water-repellant but could be uncomfortable in hot weather. It offered heated front seats and a dual-zone automatic climate control system. The rear seat provided generous head and legroom, along with rear air conditioning vents and USB charging ports. The cargo area measured 920 litres behind the rear seat and 2,144 litres with the rear seat folded flat. The Outback Wilderness also had a robust roof rack with a 700-pound static load rating, suitable for rooftop camping.

The 2022 Honda Odyssey Touring was equipped with an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, satellite radio, Bluetooth, and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. It featured CabinWatch and CabinTalk technology, allowing the driver to monitor and communicate with rear-seat passengers. The Touring trim included a rear entertainment system with a 10.2-inch display, an 11-speaker premium audio system, and a wireless charging pad. However, the Odyssey's infotainment system was considered outdated, with a small screen and limited voice recognition capabilities.

The 2022 Subaru Outback Wilderness featured an 11.6-inch touchscreen infotainment system with integrated climate control. While it had physical knobs for volume and tuning, most functions required the use of the touchscreen. The voice recognition technology was limited, but Apple CarPlay and Android Auto offered better voice assistant functionality. The Outback Wilderness lacked a premium audio system, which was available on other Outback trims.

The 2022 Honda Odyssey came standard with Honda Sensing, which included adaptive cruise control, forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, and lane-keeping assist. It also featured automatic high-beam headlights and a rear-seat reminder system. The Odyssey earned a five-star overall rating from the NHTSA and a Top Safety Pick+ rating from the IIHS. However, Honda Sensing was criticized for its lack of refinement and occasional false warnings.

The 2022 Subaru Outback Wilderness was equipped with the EyeSight suite of safety features, including adaptive cruise control, forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, and lane-keeping assistance. It also had steering-responsive LED headlights, a blind-spot warning system, and rear cross-traffic warning. The Outback Wilderness's EyeSight technology was effective and unobtrusive, though it lacked Subaru's DriverFocus distraction mitigation technology. The standard Outback earned a Top Safety Pick+ rating from the IIHS and a five-star overall rating from the NHTSA.